In the field of food packaging, various food products are packaged for distribution in many different ways. Typically the packaging should be a relatively small portion of the overall price of the packaged food item while still providing safe and effective packaging and reasonably attractive shapes and graphics.
Over the years various paperboard products have been adapted for use as food packages. Single piece foldable paper blanks are often used to package all different kinds of food items. Well recognized will be, for example, paper ice cream cartons, paper milk cartons, corrugated shipping containers for holding produce, cans and the like, and others. Ordinary consumers will recognize that, for example, paper ice cream cartons are constructed from a single layer of paper material usually laminated with an appropriate plastic, likewise with paper milk cartons. For heavier duty packages a multi-layer corrugated containerboard is utilized.
The containers made from paper materials have certain characteristics in common, among them being their relatively low cost, their ease of cutting, scoring and slitting capabilities, their relatively light weight, and of more importance recently, their recyclability.
In the packaging of food items that are substantially round in nature, such as flat pizzas for carry out, it has become well accepted that corrugated multi-layer paper materials can be utilized to form the package. Various structures have been proposed using corrugated shipping container material where they are cut, scored and slotted in order to then be folded into a relatively flat, generally rectangular box for containing one or more pizzas. A typical example of such a container is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,534 issued Aug. 23, 1988 and assigned to Stone Container Corporation.
In addition to low cost, ease of formation, recyclability, and overall attractiveness, a container for containing carry out pizza must also have good insulating properties, be extremely easy to fold from a flat condition into a folded up container. Another desired feature within a pizza container is suitable means for preventing sliding once the pizza is packaged. A reasonably tight fit is desirable to hold the pizza in place while it is being transported to the location for ultimate consumption.
Yet another desirable feature which relates directly to the overall cost of the package is to provide a container design that utilizes the least amount of paper material while providing the necessary functionality.
According, from the foregoing, one object of the present invention is the provision of a relatively low cost single piece food package.
Another object is to provide a single piece, easily erectable and recyclable paper food package.
Still a further object is to provide a single piece, relatively flat generally rectangular food container suitable for holding and retaining the heat for substantially round pizzas.
Still a further object is to provide means in the container for preventing sliding of the pizza once it is packaged within the container.
These and other objects of the present invention will be well understood upon reading the specification to follow in conjunction with the attached drawings.